This Day in History
1775: A force of two battalions of marines is authorized by the Continental Congress.
1871: Explorer Henry Stanley finds the missing missionary David Livingstone in Africa.
1969: Sesame Street premieres on TV.
1970: The space probe Luna 17, launched by the Soviet Union, softlands an automated lunar-roving vehicle which relays television pictures and scientific data back to Earth.
1982: Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev dies.
1983: Microsoft releases its Windows computer operating system.
2001: Pres. George W. Bush announces a $1 billion aid package to Pakistan in return for the country's support in the war on terrorism.
2004: Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat, who for 40 years had personified the struggle of the Palestinian people for statehood, dies in Paris, France.
Today's Birthdays
1483: Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation in Germany (Eisleben, Germany; died 1546)
1668: Francois Couperin, baroque composer, organist, and harpsichordist (Paris, France; died 1733)
1697: William Hogarth, painter/engraver (London, England; died 1764)
1730: Oliver Goldsmith, playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist (Pallas, Ireland; died 1774)
1759: Friedrich von Schiller, poet, dramatist, philosopher, and historian (Marbach, Württemberg, Germany; died 1805)
1879: Vachel Lindsay, poet (Springfield, IL; died 1931)
1889: Claude Rains, actor (England; died 1967)
1925: Richard Burton, actor (Pontrhydfen, South Wales; died 1984)
1932: Roy Scheider, actor (Orange, NJ)
1944: Tim Rice, lyricist (Amersham, England)
1945: Donna Fargo, singer/songwriter (Mount Airy, NC)
1950: Ann Reinking, dancer/actress (Seattle, WA)
1956: Sinbad, actor (Benton Harbor, MI)
1959: Mackenzie Phillips, actress (Alexandria, VA)
1977: Brittany Murphy, actress (Atlanta, GA)
